How did they keep finding them?

  “They must have followed us from the hotel.” Mae kept looking over her shoulder.

  “I guess our young waiter really did give us away.”

  With one hand he massaged his temples. In the military he had worked on trucks. He’d repaired broken trucks and worked on motors. He’d rarely gone out on patrol. He wasn’t an investigator. All this was so far out of his wheelhouse. Being a country boy was the only thing that had kept them alive.

  “What should we do?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  And he wasn’t. At this moment, he didn’t have a clue.

  ****

  Mae bit her bottom lip and resisted the urge to pick up a strand of her hair. Levi seemed to be worrying more than before. When they’d been gallivanting through the woods without any protection, he’d seemed confident and completely able to take care of them. Now he seemed like he’d lost his mojo and didn’t have a clue what to do.

  Glancing through the side mirror she noted that the SUV was falling farther and farther behind. Maybe they weren’t after them, but she doubted it.

  A hill rose behind them so the cars disappeared. Levi jerked the wheel to the right and took an exit with nothing available. He pulled up to the road and across to rejoin the Interstate then stopped. The black SUV sped by. Mae waited, holding her breath to see what Levi would do next.

  Five minutes passed.

  It seemed like an eternity.

  Slowly, Levi placed the car in gear and they started moving again. Now the SUV was in front of them.

  “That was a slick move.”

  He was looking around to join with Interstate. “I think I saw it on a movie.”

  She believed it.

  The car ate up the miles and they settled into a comfortable speed. Since he didn’t seem to want her to drive, she allowed herself to relax into the seat. Her eyelids grew heavy and she dozed off and on. Once they crossed the Missouri line, the sun dipped lower.

  “I think the motel that Tom booked is getting closer.”

  She sat up straighter. She’d thought about suggesting music or starting a conversation on multiple occasions, but for some reason it never seemed like the right time. Gladness filled her that they would be stopping. She needed to get out of the car and stretch her legs, no her entire body.

  He pulled over at what appeared to be a fly-by-night motel. If she was a betting woman, she’d say this place had hourly rates.

  “You wait and I’ll check us in.” Levi closed the door before she could speak up.

  No way was she going to just sit in this seat. Mae climbed out of the car and stretched her arms high over her head. Secretly, she was scanning the road. It seemed they had lost their tail from the gas station. They had stopped off and on for rest breaks but never saw the SUV again.

  Levi emerged from the office with one key dangling from his finger.

  “One room, two beds. I hope that’s okay.”

  She nodded. Not like they hadn’t been in closer quarters than that. The tent, the RV, the culvert…

  The culvert…

  Heat flushed her cheeks as she thought about the kiss in the culvert. There had been little time to think about that event.

  Who was she fooling? It wasn’t an event; it had been a pleasurable experience. One she wouldn’t mind repeating and repeating often.

  But he hadn’t mentioned it. Maybe it had been bad?

  A frown drew her lips downward as she leaned into the back and grabbed her bag. Could he really think that she was a bad kisser? He had asked her about having a “beau” like he didn’t think that anyone would want her.

  She sighed as she stood straighter and looked at the motel. He’d grabbed his bag already and was waiting on the sidewalk.

  He was waiting for her.

  Ever the gentleman…

  She approached. “I guess I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

  Fortunately, they’d parked right in front of their door. She tapped her foot and looked around as he opened the door and reached around to flip on a light switch. She expected to see giant cockroaches skitter under the bed, but thankfully she was disappointed.

  The room was amazingly clean and bright. With bag still in hand and lifted off the carpeted floor, she lifted the covers, pulled up the sheet on one side, and checked the mattress for bedbugs. All good.

  He dropped his bag at the foot of the bed and collapsed onto the flowery coverlet. He threw his arm over his eyes. She thought she heard snoring, but she wasn’t sure.

  Grabbing her essentials, she went to the bathroom. Once showered and ready for bed, she sneaked back into the room and climbed beneath the covers. As if on cue, he rose from the bed, grabbed his stuff, and went to the bathroom. The sound of water hitting the shower curtain meant he was showering.

  She was still awake when he climbed into his own bed and turned off the lamp. She should have spoken up and talked to him. Something, anything, was better than this silence they were sharing. They were on a mission.

  A mission to save people from themselves.

  Maybe he was still disappointed that OPAL wasn’t a person. She couldn’t help him with that.

  She rolled over and fluffed her pillow. Once this was all over, she had no idea where she would go. The NSA had thrown her into an impossible situation without regard to her skill level. She could have been killed on multiple occasions. This excursion had made her realize she had no friends. Also, that she had no one she could depend on in time of a crisis.

  She didn’t even have a cat.

  Tears overwhelmed her, pouring from her eyes. She tried to smother them in the pillow but to no avail.

  Warm arms snaked around her. Covers were left in place as Levi pulled her back against his chest. He ran his hand up and down her arm.

  “Shh, little one, it’s going to be all right.”

  She sobbed harder. The last week had taken a toll on her mind and body. His strong arms around her were giving her the confidence to let all her fears break lose.

  When she was spent, he handed her a tissue, but he didn’t let go. She allowed herself to relax in his embrace. Finally, sleep came.

  ****

  “Ivan, we lost them.”

  He slammed his fist against the desk. How did these two incompetents continue to evade his trained operatives?

  Ivan massaged his temples, glad no one could see his distress. “I see. So, what do you plan to do about it?”

  There was silence then one of the two men answered, “We will continue to the location that was relayed to us through the police data base. We will find them there.”

  Ivan closed his eyes and relaxed his clenched fist. “I believe this is a good plan. Please do not lose them again or lose the plans. Our lives may depend on it.”

  The phone connection was lost and Ivan replaced the receiver. The Boss would want an update. He would do so after the men arrived at the Underground Salt Museum. The wire that had come through on their stolen communication indicated that would be the first stop. Walter had been very meticulous with his plans, but apparently not enough. Soon the world would have access to OPAL. Then the country with the quickest response would reap the reward.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Mae shivered as she awoke. The coverlet was wrapped around her legs and she was in the bed alone. Maybe she dreamed that Levi crawled in behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her. Currently, he seemed to be snug in his own bed.

  Sitting on the side of the bed, she looked out the parted curtain. They were on the bottom floor for a quicker getaway. Through the curtain she could see their car. It sat alone with no one on the left or right.

  She rose and riffled through her suitcase. Day clothes in hand, she shuffled to the bathroom. Yawns kept coming. In the mirror above the sink, she caught a glance of herself. Bags were under her eyes and she looked like someone had socked her, they were so black. Makeup might do the trick if she had access to any.

  Hair pulled into a ponytail once more, she pinched her cheeks for color. Quickly, she changed into a pair of jeans and another T-shirt. Whoever had picked out her clothes didn’t have a varied taste. But at least the clothing fit.

  When she exited the room, Levi was sitting on the edge of the bed. He wore a pair of shorts that showed off his legs. She held in her gasp as she noted the amount of tissue that was gone from his one leg. How he could walk was a miracle. The pain that he must have endured as they descended that mountain and he helped her escape death must have been excruciating.

  Yet, he’d never complained.

  She smiled and moved around him. “The bathroom is free.”

  “I see that.” He didn’t face her.

  “Did you sleep okay?”

  “I did. And you?”

  She almost said, I did after you comforted me, but instead she just said, “I did. Thank you.” She paused. “Do you think they serve breakfast here?”

  “The desk clerk mentioned something about it.”

  “I’ll go get it while you get dressed.” She was out the door and closing it before he could speak.

  ****

  “Nice going, Levi.”

  Levi twisted his lips to the side and sighed as he made his way to the bathroom. He hadn’t really slept that well. After climbing into bed with her and smelling the peaches and cream of her hair he’d probably never sleep well again.

  He loved peaches.

  He’d waited until she relaxed then slipped back into his own bed. When he heard her rise, he thought about staying under the covers. He should have listened to himself.

  Now she’d seen his leg, and she’d had to run out of the room to a different location because she hadn’t wanted to look at him.

  How could he blame her?

  He didn’t like looking at it either.

  He made his way to the bathroom and changed into pants and a shirt. Maybe she wouldn’t look at him and only see his leg now. At least he hoped she wouldn’t.

  He opened the bathroom door. Mae was sitting at the table with two full plates of food.

  “I didn’t know what you might like so I got a little bit of everything.”

  “This looks delicious.”

  “I know, right? This place is a hidden treasure! As soon as I get home, I’m going to do a review that will send thousands of people here.”

  “Are you sure about that?” He poured syrup on a pancake.

  “Well, maybe. You’re making me doubt my decisions.”

  She was looking him in the face so that was a good thing. At least if she could look at him then she didn’t find him completely disgusting.

  “I mean, maybe people who need to hide like having a nice motel every once and a while.”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure how they are going to stay in business if they don’t get more customers. I think we’re the only people here. Which begs the question, why couldn’t we have two rooms?” She shoved a big bite in her mouth.

  “I have no idea. I just took what Tom set up for us.” He took his own bite. Probably Tom knew that Levi couldn’t protect Mae and himself if they were in two different rooms. Plus, he knew that Levi was a gentleman. At least he hoped Tom knew that.

  “Not to change the subject, but we should make it to the cave today, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think it will be hard to find the plans?”

  “I’m not sure. Sending out that wire about the salt museum was a good idea. Now if we are being followed, they’ll go there while we search the unnamed cave not too far away.”

  “That may be where the men following us were headed.”

  “If it wasn’t, I’m sure that’s where they’re going now.” Levi took another bite.

  “Once we get the plans, should we burn them there?”

  He wasn’t sure. What if this laser had useful applications?

  That probably wasn’t the case since Max was willing to give up his entire life and identity to hide the plans. And with his last breath he wanted someone to know how dangerous the machine could be. “We should probably consider it.”

  Mae nodded and punctuated her words with her plastic fork. “I think we should take matches and burn it right then. It has been nothing but trouble.”

  “We wouldn’t have met without it.” He couldn’t resist saying it.

  “Um, true.” She squirmed in her seat and took a drink of orange juice from a clear plastic cup.

  “Once we’re done eating, we should check out and get on the road. I would like to explore the cave entrance in the light, if possible.”

  “Agreed.”

  They finished eating then grabbed their luggage and headed to the car. The sun was beaming down on them as he drove farther into Kansas. He stopped at another gas station and filled up before they continued.

  The only way to reach the cave in question was with a map. GPS wouldn’t work where they were going.

  Right after lunchtime, he pulled off the main highway and onto a dusty dirt road. Sunflowers covered a field on the left and right. He came to a fork in the road and looked at the map. He took the right fork and came to a hill.

  There was a rather large bush next to a tree. It was right where the entrance to the cave was said to be. It shouldn’t be a problem just to push the bush aside and go in.

  He hoped.

  In the trunk was a bag of supplies they might need for their little adventure. Water bottles, flashlights, head flashlights, gloves, rope, and on and on it went. Tom and Leah had thought of everything they might possibly need.

  He put the backpack straps onto his shoulders and handed Mae a flashlight. “Let’s get this started so we can get out of here.”

  She nodded in agreement as he moved closer to the bush and lifted the greenery away.

  ****

  Marco worked for the Spanish government. He’d been assigned to join the international group. It was not a pleasurable experience. The leader, Ivan, was very bossy. And very adamant that this time they could not fail.

  Marco paced outside the public salt museum. He’d thought about calling Ivan but he’d decided to wait. How would Walter have gone about hiding the plans in such a public place?

  Truthfully, he didn’t think Walter would have.

  Friedrich, who worked for the German government, exited the ticket booth. “I secured tickets for the public tour.”

  He handed Marco a ticket.

  “Do you truly believe this is where he buried the plans?” Marco put the ticket in his front pocket.

  “No, no, I do not. I think we’ve been led on a wild goose chase. Besides, the couple would have been here by now. I showed their photo and they have not been seen.”

  Marco sighed and looked out into the parking lot. “We will do the tour, then we will call Ivan. I think we have been played.”

  They entered the museum with a large group of tourists. If they saw a place they could slip away, they would do that and look just in case, but he was sure they had been fooled.

  Ivan would not be pleased.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Mae moved cobwebs aside with the back of her hand before entering the tiny opening. She didn’t see any spiders, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there hiding in the dark crevices of rock just waiting to spring out and get her.

  A web skimmed the back of her hand and she jumped and squealed.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes.” Her teeth were gritted until they hurt.

  Levi, who had gone in first, had squatted lower and waddled in. She should have followed his lead. Then maybe now she wouldn’t feel so bitter.

  As soon as they passed the narrow entrance they were forced to drop to all fours. If it stayed that way, she was going to say forget it. The plans would never be found in a place like this anyway.

  After about ten feet, and what felt like an eternity of crawling, they were able to stand. Hands to her back, she flexed backward and looked around. The cave was little more than an upside down bowl. The ceiling was perfectly smooth. The walls were jagged with sharp rocks poking out in awkward angles. This created at least a dozen crevices that were easily accessed from the ground as well as a plethora that weren’t.

  “This is going to take longer than I anticipated.” Levi used the flashlight to pan around the cave.

  “How did you ever find out about this place?”

  “Tom. He heard back from a friend who Max aka Walter knew as a child. Apparently, Max would come to a ranch close by and visit his grandmother. When he visited, he and the friend would come here and play hide and seek.

  “Oh.” It was sure a perfect place for that. If you didn’t know it was here, you wouldn’t know it was here.

  “He might have hidden it in one of these crevices, but I don’t know about running our hands back in there.” Levi was eyeing one long, slender crevice with a wary eye.

  “We should use the thick gloves that Tom sent. Also maybe put a stick or something in there first to see if anything climbs out.”

  Levi nodded in agreement.

  She pulled out the gloves while he tried to find a stick.

  “I think I might have to go outside to find something.” Then he was gone, leaving her alone in the dark place.

  She thought about searching without him, but changed her mind. What if a giant scorpion or brain eating beetle slipped through one of the cracks and tried to attack her. At least with Levi there she might have a chance of beating it off.

  Unless there was more than one…

  “I found—”

  “Ah!” She screamed and jumped off the ground at least a foot at the sound of his voice.

  “Sorry.”

  She held her hand to her chest. “Oh no. It was me. I envisioned a giant brain-sucking beetle coming from the wall. I really shouldn’t be using my imagination right now.”

  “Obviously not.” Levi pulled the gloves over his hand and handed her a stick. “Brain-sucking beetle. That’s a new one.” He pointed. “You can start on one side, and I’ll start on the other.”